The Phils lose the three-game series with the Dodgers, getting humiliated in the final game by being no-hit at home for the first time in 45 years.

On Friday night, the Dodgers took the lead in the top of the first inning as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Yasiel Puig hits an RBI single, knocking in Dee Gordon, who had started the game off with a second, then stole first second base, then third base, giving the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. The Dodgers then made it a 2-0 lead in the top of the second as Carl Crawford hits a lead-off home run, his fourth home run of the season, giving the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. That would end up being the final score as the Phils would be three-hit in the game by Dodgers’ pitching, getting only a fourth inning double by Chase Utley, a sixth inning lead-off double by Jimmy Rollins and a lead-off single in the seventh inning by Ben Revere, as the offense is unable to cash in on several scoring opportunities in the later innings, before Kenley Jansen collect his fourteenth save of the year by pitching a 1-2-3 ninth, getting Tony Gwynn, Jr. to lined out to left for the game’s final out.

Roberto Hernandez (2-2, 3.83) took the lost as he pitched six and a third innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and four walks, while striking out three. Mario Hollands pitched two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men whom he would face. Antonio Bastardo pitched two scoreless innings, giving up two hits and a walk, while striking out three, Clayton Kershaw (3-1, 3.49) got the win as he pitched six shutout innings, giving up two hits and three walks, while striking out nine. Brandon League pitched to three batters, getting none of them out, as he gave up a hit and a walk. J.P. Howell collected his tenth hold of the season as he pitched an inning, giving up no hits. Brian Wilson collected his seventh hold of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two. Kenley Jansen received his fourteenth save of the season by pitching a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter.

The Phils had only three hits in the game, a double by Jimmy Rollins, a double by Chase Utley and a single by Ben Revere. They also had four walks (Carlos Ruiz (2), Darin Ruf, Cesar Hernandez) and a sacrifice bunt (Tony Gwynn, Jr.) in the game, while the defense performed two double plays.

On Saturday night, the Phils took a quick 2-o lead in the bottom of the first as, with one man on, and with one man out, Chase Utley, after catcher A.J. Ellis had made a foul pop error on a ball in foul territory, hits a two-run home run, his fourth home run of the season, knocking in Ben Revere, who had started the inning off with a double. The Phils increased their lead in the bottom of the second as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Revere hits an RBI single, knocking in Cesar Hernandez, who had earlier walked, then moved up to second base on David Buchanan’s sacrifice bunt, 5-4, beating the throw to the plate, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead, before moving up to second base on the throw to the plate. The Phils then made it a 4-0 lead as Jimmy Rollins followed with an RBI single, scoring Revere. The Dodgers get a run back in the top of the fourth as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, Carl Crawford hits an RBI ground out, 3-unassisted, scoring Justin Turner, who had started the inning off with a double, then stopped at third base on Yasiel Puig’s infield single, making it a 4-1 Phils’ lead, while sending Puig, who had earlier reached base on an infield single, then moved up to second base on Adrian Gonzalez’s soft ground out, 1-3, over to third base. The Dodgers then cut the Phils’ lead down to 4-2 in the top of the fifth as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Dee Gordon hits an RBI single, scoring Erisbel Arruebarrena, who had earlier walked, then moved up to second base on Dan Haren’s ground out, 6-3. The Phils would get the run back in their half of the fifth as, with a man on third, and with nobody out, Rollins hits an RBI ground out, 6-3, knocking in Revere, who had earlier reached base on an infield single, then went all the way to third on pitcher Haren’s two-base throwing error, giving the Phils a 5-2 lead. The Dodgers made it a 5-3 Phils’ lead in the top of the sixth as, with a runner on third, and with two men out, Puig, who had started the inning off with a triple, would score on Carlos Ruiz’s passed ball. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon received his thirteenth save of the year as he pitched a scoreless ninth, striking out pinch-hitter Scott Van Slyke, swinging, for the game’s final out.

David Buchanan (1-0, 3.60) got the win, the first in his major league career, as he pitched five innings, giving up two runs on five hits, while striking out two. Jake Diekman received his sixth hold of the season as he pitched two innings, giving up an unearned run on a hit, a walk and a passed ball, while striking out one. Mike Adams collected his sixth hold of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Jonathan Papelbon collected his thirteenth save of the season, as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk, while striking out one. Dan Haren (5-3, 3.16) took the lost as he pitched six innings, giving up five runs, only two of which were earned, on six hits and two walks, while striking out seven. Paul Maholm pitched two scoreless innings, giving up a hit, a hit batter and a balk, while sriking out two.

The Phils had seven hits in the game, with Ben Revere (RBI) leading the team with four hits, three singles and a double. Jimmy Rollins (Single, 2 RBIs), Chase Utley (Home Run, 2 RBIs) and Marlon Byrd (Double), had the other three Phils’ hits. The Phils also had two walks (Carlos Ruiz, Cesar Hernandez), a hit batter (Byrd) and a sacrifice bunt (David Buchanan) in the game, while the defense had picked off a runner (Ruiz), committed an error (Buchanan (1)) and performed a double play.

On Sunday, the Dodgers took the lead in the top of the first as, with a runner on third, and with two men out, Adrian Gonzalez hits an RBI double, knocking in Dee Gordon, who had started the game off with a single, stole second base, then stopped at third base on Carl Crawford’s fly out to center, giving the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. The Dodgers increased their lead in the top of the first as Justin Turner hits a lead-off home run, his second home run of the season, giving the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. The Dodgers then made it a 3-0 lead in the top of the sixth as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Erisbel Arruebarrena hits an RBI single, knocking in Turner, before going to second base on the late throw to the plate. The Dodgers added to their lead in the top of the seventh as, with a man on second, and with nobody out, Gordon, who had started the inning off with a walk, then stole second base, would score on first baseman Ryan Howard’s fielding error of Crawford’s grounder, making it a 4-0 Dodgers’ lead, while Crawford would stop at second base. The Dodgers then made it a 5-0 lead two as, after Yasiel Puig hits a double, which sends Crawford on to third base, and with still nobody out, Adrian Gonzalez hits an RBI single, knocking in Crawford, while sending Puig up to third, putting runners on the corners. The Dodgers then added to their lead as Andre Ethier hits into a double play, 6-4-3, wiping out Gonzalez at second base for the inning’s first out, as Puig scores, making it a 6-0 Dodgers’ lead. That would end up being the final score as Josh Beckett pitches a no-hitter, the first pitched against the Phils since 1978 and the first pitched against them at home since 1969, as he struck out Chase Utley, looking, for the game’s final out.

A.J. Burnett (3-4, 3.51) took the lost as he pitched seven innings, giving up six runs, four of which were earned, on eleven hits and a walk, while striking out three. Jeff Manship pitched two 1-2-3 innings, striking out a batter. Josh Beckett (3-1, 2.43) got the win as he pitched a complete game no-hitter, giving up three walks, while striking out six.

The Phils had no hits in the game. They had three walks (Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Marlon Byrd) in the game, while the defense committed an error (Ryan Howard (3)) and performed a double play.

The Phils (21-26, 54th NL East) start a three-game home series with the Rockies (27-23, 2nd NL West) with a game in progress.

The Phils officially started spring training on Thursday, February 13, as pitchers and catchers arrived at Clearwater, followed this week by the rest of the squad, although a large number of players had been at Clearwater during the off-season, getting ready for the 2014 season, especially first baseman Ryan Howard, who has been trying to get back into playing shape.

On Friday, February 14, former ballplayer and ex-Phil manager Jim Fregosi passed away at age 71 from multiple strokes. Fregosi, who broke into major league baseball as a shortstop in September 1961, had an 18-year career playing for the Los Angeles/California Angels, the New York Mets, the Texas Ranger and the Pittsburgh Pirates. A six-time All-Star and a gold glove winner (1967), he would play in 1902 games, having a .265 career batting average (1726 for 6523) as he hit 264 2Bs, 78 3Bs and 151 HRs, knocking in 706 RBIs, while scoring 844 times. He would also walk 715 times. After retiring from baseball during the 1978 season, he would be hired as the manager of the team that he had begun his playing career, the Angels, starting a career that would end in 2000, during which he would be the manager of the Angels (1978-1981), the Chicago White Sox (1986-1988), the Philadelphia Phillies (1991-1996) and the Toronto Blue Jays (1999-2000), compiling a managerial record of 1028-1094 .484, as he managed a total of 2122 games. He would lead the Angels into the playoffs in 1979 as they won the American League West, but losing the AL Championship Series, 3-1, to the Orioles, and he would lead the Phils in 1993 to the World Series, before losing the series, 4-2, to the Blue Jays.

On the 16, the Phils finalized their one-year deal with A.J. Burnett, in which they would give the veteran pitcher $15 million dollars plus a $1 million buyout on a mutual option for 2015. Burnett also has a player option for $7.5 million if he exercises his option. With the buyout options and other incentives, Burnett could end up receiving a two-year contract worth $ 33.5 million. He also has a partial no-trade clause, in which he would have to sign off on any possible trade involving nine other teams. In order to make room for Burnett on their roster, the Phils placed left-handed reliever Joe Savery on waviers, awaiting reassignment. On Monday the 17, the A’s picked Savery off of waivers. Selected by the Phils in the first round of the draft back in 2007, Savery has pitched for the Phils for parts of three seasons (2011-2013), appearing in 41 games, with a 3-2 record and a 3.15 ERA, as he pitched in 47.2 innings, giving up 42 hits and 28 runs, 22 of which were earned, as he struck out 32 batters, while walking 19.

As spring training continues, former Phil Roy Holladay has come to camp as a special pitching instructor, offering advice to the team’s younger players. Hopefully they’ll listen to the future Hall of Famer.

In the team’s 128 years history, the Phils would win 90 games or more only fourteen times.

The team has won 100 games or more only twice in its history, as they would win 101 games twice. The first time occurred in 1976, when the team would win 101 games, losing only 61, as they would win the first of three straight NL Eastern Division titles, before losing to the World Champions Cincinnati Reds 3-0 in the NL Championship Series. They would duplicate that record the following year, 1977, as they would win their second straight NL Eastern Division crown, before falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series, 3-1.

Their third highest victory total would be 97 games, which they would do twice. The first time would occur in 1993, when they would unexpectively win the Eastern Division that season with a record of 97-65, then win the NL title by defeating the National League Champions Braves in the NL Championship Series, 4-2, before finally falling to the World Champions Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series, 4-2. They would then duplicate the record this year as they would win their fourth straight NL Eastern Division crown, the first time that they would do that in the team’s history, before defeating the Cincinnati Reds in the NL Divisional Series, 3-0, and then losing to the San Francisco Giants in the NL Championship Series, 4-2.

The fifth best team was the 1899 Phillies, who finished that season in third place with a 94-58 record, the team’s best record for the 19th Century, ending up nine games behind the first place Brooklyn Superbas. The sixth best team was the 2009 team which finished with a record of 93-69, winning the team’s third straight Eastern Division title, doing so for the second time in the team’s history, before defeating the Colorado Rockies in the Divisional Series, 3-1, then beating the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series, 4-1, winning the team’s second straight NL title, doing so for the first time in the team’s history, before losing their World Series crown to the American League Champions New York Yankees in the World Series, 4-2.

The next two teams ended up with identical records of 92-70, giving them both the seventh best winning total. The first one was the 1964 team, the one that had the most infamous late season collapse in baseball history, until the Mets team of 2007. That team would end up being tied for second place with the Reds, a game behind the St. Louis Cardinals. The other team to win 92 games was the 2008 Phils, who would win their second straight Eastern Division title, before defeating first the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Divisional Series, 3-1, then the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series, 4-1, and then the American League Champions Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series, 4-1, winning the team’s second World Championship.

The team with the ninth best record was the 1980 Phils, who ended the season with a record of 90-72, finishing first in the Eastern Division, before first defeating the Houston Astros in the NL Championship Series, 3-2, then defeating the American League Champions Kansas City Royal, 4-2, winning the team’s first World Championship. The tenth best team was the 1916 team which ended the season with a 91-62, finishing in second place, two and a half-games behind the Brooklyn Dodgers.

The eleventh team to win at least 90 games was the 1950 ‘Whiz Kid’ who won the pennant in 1950 with record of 91-63, only to lose the World Series to the World Champions Yankees, 4-0. The twelfth team was the 1915 team, which won the Phils’ first National League pennant with a record of 90-62, only to lose the World Series to the Boston Red Sox, 4-1. The final two teams would end up with identical records of 90-72. The first one was the 1978 team, which won the National League Eastern Division title, the third straight for the team, doing so for the first time in the team’s history, before losing the NL Championship Series to the National League Champions Dodgers, 3-1. The fourteenth, and final team, with 90 or more wins, was the 1983 team, nicknamed the ‘Wheeze Kids’, who would win the NL East, then defeat the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series, 3-1, before losing the World Series to the American League Champions Baltimore Orioles, 4-1.

Will the 2011 team become the fifteen team to win 90 games or more? Maybe, maybe not, but we won’t know for sure until next year comes and goes.

The Phillies had a few hours ago announced the passing of former Phillies’ manager, Danny Ozark.

According to a press release:

Danny Ozark, who ranked third for most wins among Phillies managers, died this morning at his home in Vero Beach, Fla. He was 85 years of age.

Mr. Ozark was named the Phillies manager on November 1, 1972. In his first five years, the Phillies won 71, 80, 86, 101 and 101 games. They won three consecutive National League Eastern Division titles starting in 1976, a record unmatched by any other Phillies manager. Each year, however, the Phillies missed on advancing to the World Series.

Mr. Ozark finished with a 594-510 record as Phillies manager (1973-79). His winning percentage of .538 is seventh-best in team history. He was named Manager of the Year in 1976 by the Associated Press and The Sporting News.

“Ginny and I really miss Philadelphia,” Mr. Ozark said in a Phillies Magazine story published last month. “We enjoyed our time there. That city is a great sports town. The fans are the greatest. They do express themselves, but that’s OK. We made a lot of lifelong friends there.”

Mr. Ozark began his pro career as a first baseman in the Brooklyn Dodgers system in 1942. Following a minor league career, he turned to managing in 1956, with the Dodgers’ Class B team in Wichita Falls.

Nine years later Mr. Ozark joined the Los Angeles Dodgers as a coach. After leaving the Phillies, he returned to the Dodgers as a coach (1980-82). His career ended with the San Francisco Giants as a coach (1983-84) and their interim manager in 1984 (24-32).

Born Daniel Leonard Orzechowski on November 24, 1923, in Buffalo, N.Y., he married Ginny Zdinski. The couple celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in February.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Ozark is survived by two children, Dwain and Darlene; three granddaughters; and four great-grandchildren. His hobbies included golf and following the Phillies. He was an active golfer in charity events conducted by the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association.

Funeral arrangements are pending. (H/T Phillies.com)

And another ex-Phil goes to that red pinstriped heaven in the sky. My condolences to Danny’s family. And thanks, Danny, for helping make the Phils into a contender instead of the laughing stock of baseball back in the mid-70s.

In 126-years as a member of the National League, the Phillies have won twenty singles titles. Eleven Phils have won the title, with five of them doing it multiple times.

The first Phil to win the singles title was Hall of Famer Billy Hamilton, who, in 1890, ended up in a tie for first place with Cliff Carroll of the Chicago Colts (now the Cubs), with each men hitting 137 singles. Hamilton then won the title outright in 1891-92 and 1894 with 147 (1891), 152 (1892) and 176 (1894) singles each. The second Phillie player to win the title, the fifth to be won by a Phil, was Eddie Grant, who won it with 147 singles in 1909. In 1910, Grant won his second straight singles title by hitting 134 of them that season. The next Phil to win the singles title was Beals Becker, who hit 128 singles in 1914. The fourth Phillies player to win the tile was Lefty O’Doul, winning it in 1929, in a tie with Hall of Famer Lloyd ‘Little Poison’ Waner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, with each man getting 181 singles, presently the Phillies’ record for the most singles hit in a season. The fifth Phil to become the singles champ was Chick Fullis, doing it in 1933 with 161 singles. Eddie Waitkus became the sixth Phil to win the singles title, helping to lead the Phils to their second National League title in 1950, by hitting 143 of them. The following year, 1951, Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn won the first of his four singles championships, as he hit 181 singles, in the process tying Lefty O’Doul’s record. He won his second singles title, hitting 169 singles in 1953, then won his third title in 1957 with 152 and then his fourth and final title the following season, 1958, with 176. The next Phil to win the title was Dave Cash, who won it with 167 singles in 1974, then won it for the second straight year with 166 singles in 1975. Three years later, Larry Bowa became the ninth Phil to win the title as he hit 153 singles in 1978, the year the Phils won their third straight National League Eastern Division title. Pete Rose, the following season, became the tenth Phils to win the title, as he hit 159 singles in 1979. Rose won his second singles title as a Phillie player by hitting 117 singles in the strike-shortened season of 1981. The eleventh and final Phil to win the singles title was Doug Glanville, doing it in 1999 with 149 singles. No Phillie player has won the title since then.

Of the twenty singles titles won by the Phils, almost half of them, eight, has been won by two Hall of Famers, Billy Hamilton (4) and Richie Ashburn (also 4). Three other Phils have won two titles each, Eddie Grant, Dave Cash and Pete Rose. Two Phils have won the title tied with another player, Hamilton in 1890 and Lefty O’Doul in 1929. The Phils to have hit the most singles to win the title were O’Doul (1929) and Ashburn (1951) with 181, which is still the Phillies’ record for most singles in a season. The Phil to have won the title with the least number of singles was Pete Rose with only 117 in the strike-shortened season of 1981. The Phillies have won four singles titles in the 19th Century, sixteen in the 20th, and, so far, none in the 21st Century.

Who will be the next Phils to win the single titles? At this time, I really have no clue who might win it.

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